Where city's worst child sex predators are today

Tara Miko
Reporter
Tara started with APN in 2010 after graduating with a journalism and politics degree from Griffith University in Brisbane. After two-and-a-half years working on APN papers in the Bowen Basin in Central Queensland, she joined the team at The Chronicle in February 2013. In September that year she took over the reins of the Rural Weekly.

AS THE State Government faces mounting pressure to review "dangerously lenient" sentences for child sex abusers, two of the city's worst predators remain behind bars.

More than 133,000 people this week signed an online petition pressuring Attorney General Yvette D'Ath to review criminal sentencing laws after a convicted child rapist walked free after serving six months behind bars.

Community outrage followed convicted child rapist Gary Brabham's release from jail after he served six months of an 18-month sentence, having been found guilty by a jury.

The petition, reportedly set up by a close friend of Brabham's victim, will also be handed to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

On Wednesday The Chronicle confirmed two of the city's worst child predators remain behind bars.

Craig Reginald Andrews.

Gerard Vincent Byrnes, a former child protection officer and teacher at a Toowoomba Catholic school, is due to be released from jail this year after being sentenced in 2010.

Byrnes admitted to 10 counts of rape, 33 counts of indecent treatment of a child, and one count of maintaining a sexual relationship with a child, and was sentenced to 10 years in jail.

But the 23 months he spent in pre-sentence custody was taken into account which made him eligible for release this year.

He remains at the Wacol Correctional Centre.

Craig Reginald Andrews likewise remains in jail after being sentenced to 14 years' jail for grooming 15 children online and raping two of them.

Using aliases and emotionally blackmailing his child victims, Andrews pleaded guilty to 70 offences and showed no remorse during his sentencing this year. He must serve 80 per cent of his 14-year sentence.